Determining the effect of ellagic acid on the proliferation and migration of pancreatic cancer cell lines

Background: Ellagic acid is a natural dietary compound found in several berries and fruits. It inhibits fibrosis, inflammation and carcinogenesis. We tried to find out what role ellagic acid plays in pancreatic cancer to see if it can be used as an adjuvant for chemotherapy. Methods: Three pancreatic cancer cell lines, PANC-1, AsPC-1, and MIA PaCA-2, were used. Cell growth was measured by MTT assay. Activities of caspase-3 and caspase-8, and caspase-9 were evaluated to determine the apoptosis pathway. Epithelial to mesenchymal transition was identified through mRNA expression of associated genes, which were transforming growth factor-beta, matrix metalloproteinase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-9. Quantitative real time PCR was used to verify mRNA expression. To determine the effect on migration, transwell system was used. Results: Ellagic acid inhibits pancreatic cancer cell growth by stimulating apoptosis. Apoptosis induced by ellagic acid in pancreatic cancer cells, is mediated by the activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9, and not caspase-8. Ellagic acid also suppresses migration via the inhibition of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) in pancreatic cancer cells. Ellagic acid decreased the expression levels of transforming growth factor-beta, matrix metalloproteinase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-9, while it increased that of E-cadherin. Conclusions: These findings suggest that ellagic acid is useful in pancreatic cancer treatment.